The Pink Monster
by Fiery Kitty
Summary: Kai's in love with Rei, and he's finally mustering up the guts to tell him. Then Mariah shows up, fixed on getting Rei, and this time she has a proposition that she knows he can't refuse. KaiRei yaoi (formerly the Green Monster)
1. propositions

**Author's notes: **Ok, this idea just came randomly to me- I'm sorry if this is a really crap story!

Umm.. the title is completely random- if you can think of a better one, tell me!! Please!!

**Warning: **tiny bit of Mariah bashing (can't help it- I hate Mariah. No offense Mariah fans), yaoi, which is boy loving boy, so hey- don't like it, don't read it!

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Beyblades, well evil smirk >D

But I don't.. TT

!#$%&()

Kai watched as Rei's jaw hung open in shock, and the phone dropped from his hands.

_What now? _the blunette wondered, as his teammate went a violent shade of white.

"Kon. What's wrong?" he demanded gruffly.

Rei simply shook his head, muttered something into the phone -which he had picked up quickly after seeing Kai's cross expression- and hung up.

"Rei? You okay buddy?" Tyson asked, pausing for a split second from the mass of pancakes he was consuming at the rate of a racecar going around the track.

Rei nodded slowly. "Mariah's coming to visit me tomorrow..".

Kai blanched. "What? At such short notice?"

_Nooooo.... not the pink one... _his mind cried out in horror.

Rei nodded again. "Yeah... she said it was because something came up, and so she was travelling to Japan anyway, and decided to drop in."

"Great." Kai muttered sarcastically and headed for the doors. "She can stay in the guest room."

Rei nodded absently, not really paying attention. His mind was obviously somewhere else.

Tyson eyed the beyblade in Kai's hand warily. "It's Sunday! Why are you training?"

"Because unlike some other people-" he looked at Tyson pointedly "-I don't like to slack off."

Tyson shrugged, not figuring out that Kai was hinting not so subtlely at him. "Your loss."

Kai rolled his eyes, exasperated, and left the dojo. Rei stared after his retreating back, then suddenly ran into the room he and the blunette shared. Tyson frowned.

"Everyone's acting really odd today." he commented to Max who had just entered the room.

Max grinned at him and sat in the seat next to him. "Must be the weather or something. Why'd Rei look so pale?"

Tyson shrugged. "Mariah's coming over for a while. He doesn't look too happy about that." Tyson paused, looking thoughtful. "That's strange- I thought they were going out."

Max groaned and hit his head on the kitchen bench. "He broke up with her six months ago, Ty!" he stared incredulously at his friend. "Honestly- why did you think Rei was so upset during the tournament?"

Tyson flushed. "Ok... so maybe I'm not that observant..."

Rei walked out of his room, dressed for the hot weather in a tight white t-shirt and jeans. "I'm going to go train with Kai." he said in answer to Max's questioning glance. "It's too beautiful a day- I need to go out and get some exercise."

Max nodded. "I heard Mariah's coming to stay." the blond commented. "How long is she staying for?"

" A few weeks." Rei's replied vaguely.

"Oh." was all Max said. _That's a long time, _he thought, inwardly wincing. _I'm going to have to convince my dad to let me go on a holiday during the time that she's here._

Rei walked outside, enjoying the feel of the warm sun against his skin. He wondered where Kai had gone- perhaps to the park? He knew that Kai wouldn't be at the training centre, the captain hated human company more than anything.

_Hopefully he'll let me stay, _Rei thought, although he knew that if Kai did let him stay- and that was a big _if_- then the bluenette would just ignore him.

"Where are you going?"

Rei jumped, and twisted around, his braid whipping through the air. He saw Kai sitting on a railing, smirking at him. Dranzer lay within his loose grasp, and it didn't look like he had been training.

"I was going to find you." Rei replied truthfully.

Kai grunted, and jumped off the railing and walked over to Rei. "How long will Mariah be staying?"

_If she dares to steal Rei away from me... I swear I'll kill her... _Kai thought darkly, before remembering that Rei wasn't his. _He will be mine soon._

"A few weeks." Rei shrugged. He caught the mutinous expression on Kai's face and laughed lightly. "She won't try anything odd, don't worry Kai."

"Hn. She'd better not, or it's your ass on the line Kon." Kai muttered. He headed towards the town. "Are you coming or not?"

"Where are you going?" Rei asked, quickly catching up with his captain. "I thought you were going to train."

"It was an excuse." Kai smirked. "And I'm going to get breakfast. I can't stand eating with that pig we call Tyson."

"That's not very nice Kai." Rei said frowning.

"It's the truth." Kai shot back. He entered a cafe and sat down, glancing at the menu. "What do you want?"

"Er..." Rei scanned the menu quickly, noting the impatient look on Kai's face. "Just some muesli thanks."

Kai raised an eyebrow sceptically -he obviously didn't think much of muesli- and ordered some porridge. Rei made a face as Kai started to down the dodgy looking substance.

"Are you sure that's edible?" the neko jin asked cautiously, eyeing the thick white _thing_ suspiciously.

"I'm alive, aren't I?"

"Who knows for how long..." Rei muttered still not trusting the thing they called porridge.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Just eat your breakfast Kon." he commanded, and picked up the morning's newspaper, skim reading the front page.

After breakfast -which Kai paid for- they headed towards the park. Rei wasn't sure exactly what Kai was doing, but he tagged along anyway.

"Why did you break up with her?" Kai asked abruptly.

Rei flushed as crimson orbs fixed themselves on him. "Well it's just that I love her like I love an older sister."

Kai nodded to show that he understood. He sat down on a low tree branch, and gestured for Rei to do the same.

"She didn't understand that- and you know how persistent Mariah is. I mean, she's a nice girl and all, but she can get too fixated on things."

"Like you." Kai nodded, and lay back. "I see."

"Why'd you ask?" Rei asked curiously. It wasn't like Kai to involve himself in the personal matters of his team.

"Just curious Kon." Kai shrugged.

Rei sighed. "I hope she's finally got the point that I just don't love her. It's so hard to say no to her, Kai. I mean, I feel like I'm punching her in the gut everytime she tells me that she loves me." he cursed suddenly when his hair got caught on the branch. "Shit!" he tugged madly at his braid.

Kai chuckled softly at the sight of Rei trying to pull his hair out of the branch. He leaned across Rei and swatted his hands away. "I'll do it." Kai said, and in a few seconds, Rei's hair was free.

"Thanks." Rei felt his breath hitch in his throat as he suddenly realised how close Kai was.

_Too close. Way too close for comfort, _Rei thought uncomfortably. He couldn't explain the fire that seemed to shoot through his body everytime Kai made contact with him. _Is it possible that I- _he immediately broke off that train of thought. _No way. I'm not gay... am I?_

"Kon. You alright?" Kai asked, his voice as gruff as ever.

"I'm fine." Rei wasn't sure who he was trying to convince- Kai or himself. He plastered a cheerful smile on his face and leaned back, catching the sun's rays. "It's a really beautiful day." he said quietly.

"Hn." Kai grunted. "Whatever you say Kon."

They remained there for the rest of the day, not saying much, and just dozing lightly in the afternoon's warmth. Finally Kai sat up and checked his watch.

"We'd better be heading back." he informed Rei. "The others will be worrying."

Rei nodded, reluctant to return to the dojo. It was so nice, just to relax with Kai. The bluenette didn't expect Rei to be anything- he didn't want a conversastion, he just wanted the neko jin's company.

_He doesn't expect me to make any jokes, or to make him laugh or cry, _Rei thought gratefully. _He doesn't expect anything of me, other than for me to be myself._

"Thanks." Rei said as he jumped off the branch.

"For what?" Kai asked, looking slightly surprised -after all, this was Kai, he didn't show any emotions- as he climbed down the tree at a more sedate pace. After all, not everyone possessed Rei's feline grace.

Rei shrugged, a happy smile on his face. "I've had a great day."

The corners of the Russian boy's lips twitched up to form a tiny smile. "So have I."

They returned to the dojo, and after a quick meal, they went to their shared bedrooms and went to sleep.

But Kai couldn't fall asleep- he couldn't help but think of Mariah who would be arriving in several hours time.

_I bet you she'll start hitting on Rei again, _Kai thought, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits. _This time I won't let that bitch worm her way into his heart by force again. Rei's too soft- he only dated Mariah because he felt that he had to. He doesn't love her._

Kai glanced at the figure sprawled out next to him and felt his heart twist painfully. _He's so close to me, yet in a sense so far away._

"Kai? You alright?" bright golden orbs stared at him in the darkness.

Kai flinched -he hadn't realised that Rei was awake- and nodded. "I'm fine. Why aren't you asleep?" he kept the worry out of his voice.

_After all, I'm Mr Sourpuss. It wouldn't do wonders for my reputation if I started showing any emotion, _Kai thought bitterly.

Rei shrugged and sat up, leaning against Kai. The bluenette was glad for the darkness that surrounded them, otherwise the neko jin would surely see his flaming red face.

"I don't know. It's just.. I'm so nervous about seeing Mariah again, I guess." Rei yawned and rested his head on top of Kai's shoulder. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not." Kai's voice was gruffer than usual. He drew in a deep breath and hesitantly wrapped his arm around Rei's narrow shoulders. He felt the neko jin stiffen, and cursed himself inwardly.

_I shouldn't have done that- now I've probably scared Rei off, _Kai thought, wanting nothing more than to slam his head against the nearest hard object.

To his surprise, Rei didn't pull away. Instead, he just snuggled closer to Kai and was soon fast asleep in the bluenette's embrace.

Kai felt himself smile as he looked down at Rei's sleeping face. _He's so adorable. _Kai blinked. _Did I just say adorable? _he shook his head in disbelief._ I'm too tired to think coherently._

Kai leaned back, Rei still safely nestled within his arms, and was soon fast asleep.

!#$%&

When Rei awoke the next day, he felt incredibly warm and contented.

_Where am I? _the neko jin wondered. _Am I even in my own bed? There is no way that Kai would hold me like this!_

He sat up, rubbing the grit out of his eyes. His jaw slackened when he saw that it was Kai that had been holding him.

_Impossible, _Rei thought, amazed.

The bluenette frowned at the loss of warmth and his eyes cracked open. "Rei?" he yawned, looking extremely young and vulnerable. "Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." Rei replied, lying back down again.

"Good." Kai pulled the neko jin close again, and fell back asleep.

Rei went a wonderful shade of red. _I don't think Kai is in his normal state of mind. There is no way that he could possibly love me._

A nasty voice in the back of his mind asked _##Who said anyting about love? Kai doesn't love you. By hugging you, it doesn't mean to say that he loves you.##_

_True... _Rei thought sadly.

Suddenly there was a loud rapping on the door. Kai shot up, cursing under his breath.

"What the hell do you want, Tyson?" he demanded.

"How did you know it was me?" Tyson asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

Kai rolled his crimson eyes, and strode across the room and flung the door wide open.

"What other baka would have the decency to knock loudly on the door at this time of morning?" Kai growled. Suddenly a thought occurred to him, and he frowned. "How come you're up so early?"

Rei stifled a laugh. However, Kai heard the sound and twisted around to glare at him.

"What, Kon?" he snapped.

"Kai, it's almost noon." Rei said gently.

The expression on Kai's face was priceless. Mr I-always-wake-at-exactly-5:30am's mouth hung open, and he shook his head in disbelief.

"Impossible." Kai muttered under his breath.

_I never wake up this late! _Kai thought. _Maybe that porridge _was_ poisoned_

"Anyway, I just woke you guys up to say that Mariah's here." Tyson gave a comical salute and ran off.

Kai hurriedly pulled on his jacket and slipped on some shoes. "Let's go greet the pink one then."

Rei frowned. "The pink one?"

Cursing his silly blunder, Kai hastily corrected himself "Mariah."

"Oh." Rei nodded and stood up.

They entered the kitchen, where Rei was immediately attacked by Mariah, who refused to let go of him. Kai gave a low growl of anger that only Kenny heard.

_How dare she touch _my_ Rei? _Kai thought jealously.

"REI!!!" she screeched. "I miss you so much!! It's been to long, ne?"

Rei nodded. "Hai." he managed a painful looking smile. "Mariah.. you're choking me.."

"Oh." Mariah quickly relaxed her grip on him, though she never for one second let him go. "How have you been?"

"Great!" _Until now, that is, _Rei thought darkly. He tried to prise his arm free from Mariah and failed miserably. "And you?"

"I missed you heaps." she pouted. "But everything's going well. Let's go, Rei."

"Huh?" Rei blinked, feeling as if he had missed something. "Go where?"

Mariah laughed infuriatingly. "To breakfast of course! It can be like a date."

Rei bit his lip anxiously. "Look, Mariah..."

"He doesn't love you, get over it." Kai muttered before stalking off, absolutely livid.

Mariah rolled her amber eyes. "What's his problem?" she gave a snort of disgust. "Honestly- is it just me or does he always act like he has a stick shoved up his ass?"

Rei gave a half choked cough that sounded suspiciously like it was cloaking a snigger. "He's really nice, Mariah, he's just shy."

Tyson blinked several times. Calling Kai 'shy' didn't exactly sound right.

_Irritable bastard suits him better, _the bluenette thought. _Only Rei can see the good side of Kai when he's in a bad mood. Then again, only Rei can see his good side, period._

"So, you coming or not?" Mariah smiled flirtatiously up at Rei.

He gave a reluctant nod. "Sure..."

They strolled down the street, with Rei wishing desperately that he was somewhere else, anywhere- just not with Mariah. He loved the pink haired girl, he honestly did, but only as an older sister.

_Why can't she get that? _Rei wondered as they sat down at the same cafe that he and Kai had eaten at the day before. _I wish it was Kai that was with me, not Mariah._

They ordered their meals and sat for a while, with Rei listening with one ear to Mariah's constant chattering. He forced himself to smile at her, and nod at appropriate moments, though he had no clue what she was talking about.

"... why I need to do this." Mariah's face turned completely serious, causing Rei to sit up and pay attention.

"What?" he asked, suddenly wary. Something wasn't right- he couldn't place his finger on it, but there was something sly in the grin on Mariah's face that put his nerves on edge.

She knows that I could never refuse her- she's going to ask for something, I just know she is. Shit.

"Rei Kon." she began, looking incredibly proud of herself. "Will you marry me?"

!#$%&

**Author's notes: **Lol- were you expecting that? >D I feel absolutely evil now!!! Anyways, please review and make my day!!! Oh, and no flames please.


	2. answers, plans and more questions

**Author's notes: **Well. Umm.. that chapter wasn't actually supposed to be put up. I have no idea how it got there.. but it was a real surprise for me when I found it the other morning. 0.o" Lol- oh well, it doesn't really matter.

**In reply:**

**Yeuh Kitsune: **Sure, go straight ahead, burn here- here's some petrol ::hands petrol over:: lol, umm the uke? Ok, from what I've heard the uke is the ummm bottom, right? Sorry, I suck at this. Anyway, Kai's the leading person in the relationship, lol. Isn't he always? . Thanks for reviewing!!

**Skyflyer: **Lol, I hate it when people put starring instead of staring. That just pisses me off. Thanks for the review!!!!!!!

And thanks to all the other reviewers!! I love you all!!! ::hands out kai plushies:: Sorry I didn't get time to reply to all of your reviews.

**Warnings: **This is a YAOI fic- which means BOY/ BOY!! Don't like, then get the hell out of here!! Oh yeah- and a bit of cussing and a little weeny bit of sexual tension!!

**Disclaimer: **Oh yeah, I definitely own Beyblades. I mean, why else would I be here writing crap fics? Lol- no, I don't own Beyblades, however much I want to.

!#$%&()__

Rei's jaw dropped and he stared at Mariah in frank shock.

_I must be imagining things. Because there is no way that Mariah could've just proposed to me._

He blinked several times, trying to process the information. _Okay... Mariah just proposed to me. Oh my God- she just _proposed _to me!!_

"I- I-" he stammered.

_Isn't it the guy's job to propose? _he wondered. _I guess she really doesn't get the fact that I don't love her._

"I'll give you some time to think about it." Mariah smiled widely, obviously thinking that he would agree. "So, would you like something else to eat?"

Rei shook his head, still dazed. "I- I'm going to go for a walk." he muttered, and stumbled out of the cafe.

_I need to find Kai. I need to clear my head. If I say yes then she would become Mrs. Mariah Kon. Good lord no..._

He ran back to the dojo, where Kenny sat typing away at his laptop.

"Hey Rei." the short boy waved cheerfully at him. "I thought you were with Mariah."

"Hey." Rei greeted him breathlessly. "I was with Mariah but she's -er- busy. Where's Kai?"

Kenny frowned in concentration. "Ah... I think he went to the park to train." he grinned. "Kai's always training, so I guess the answer's pretty evident."

Rei laughed as well, though the laughter didn't reach his eyes. His mind was still too preoccupied with the proposal. His twisted his hands together anxiously, and his breathing was erratic.

Kenny noticed this, and wondered why Rei was so worked up.

_I wonder why he's after Kai? _Kenny's agile mind immediately leaped to Mariah. _I hope she's not harrassing him again. Poor Rei- breaking up with her once was hard enough for him, he doesn't need to have to go through the whole process again._

"True." Rei waved farewell to Kenny before running off in the direction of the park.

As he ran down the road he wondered how Kai would react when he heard about Mariah's proposal. He knew that Kai highly detested Mariah, though for what reason Rei didn't know.

Kai usually respected -to some degree- good bladers, and even the blunette had to admit that Mariah was a pretty good blader.

_So why doesn't he like her? _Rei wondered. _Could he possibly be jealous?_

Rei knew that Kai possessed a strong jealous streak, but usually Kai got over his jealousy by beyblading, so it wouldn't show on his exterior, keeping as calm and collected as always.

_Untouchable_, Rei thought somewhat wistfully. _But if he _was_ jealous, then what's he jealous about? He's a better blader than Mariah, so that can't be it. Is he jealous of me? Maybe he's in love with Mariah!_

Re's heart almost stopped. _No! _he refused to think about Kai being in love with Mariah. _It's impossible. I would've noticed it before. And that's that._

He arrived at the park and looked around for Kai. The park was crowded with families, lovers and children. It didn't look like a typical Kai hang out.

_Why on earth would Kai be here? He hates all sort of human contact._

He looked around but couldn't see Kai anywhere. He strolled around the park, wondering if Kai had decided to take a day off training and not told anyone.

_But he took a day off yesterday when he hung out with me. It isn't like Kai to not be training._

Rei was starting to get worried. What if something had happened to the bluenette? His slightly pointed ears picked up as he heard someone approaching him.

The neko jin whirled around and came face to face with his captain. Rei gave a nervous grin when Kai didn't say anything for a long time.

"Ah.. Kai?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "You okay?"

"Where's Mariah?" Kai asked abruptly. His crimson eyes were narrowed with jealousy. "I thought she was with you."

_So he _is_ jealous... _Rei felt his heart sink. _He must be in love with Mariah... _he lowered his eyes, hurt.

"Yeah- well... we talked and I kind of left..." Rei looked away uncomfortably.

"What did she do?" Kai demanded, clenching his hands into fists, ignoring Dranzer which was cutting into his right hand.

_If she hurt him in away possible... I swear I'll kill her... _Kai growled angrily.

Rei sighed heavily. "It's... complicated."

"How so?" Kai looked around, glaring at the happy families around him as if it was their fault that Mariah was in Japan and causing havoc. "Let's go back to that tree we were in yesterday. It's a lot quieter there than it is here."

They walked to the opposite side of the park and climbed back up the tree that they had been sitting in the day before. Kai leaned against the tree trunk, one leg hanging off the branch, the other pulled against his chest.

Rei wanted to lean against him, and have Kai wrap his arms around him, but he knew that it was impossible. He wanted someone to comfort him, to tell him that everything was alright- that if he didn't accept Mariah's proposal the world wouldn't end. That Kai really did love him back.

"Well. What happened?" Kai asked, or rather, demanded.

Rei hoped that he wouldn't kill Mariah. "Sheproposedtome." he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Kai frowned at him, impatience lacing his voice. "Say each word clearly, Kon."

"S- she-" Rei mustered his courage. "She proposed to me."

Shocked silence followed his words. Kai stared at him, disbelief written all over his face. His hands were clenched so hard that his knuckles were white and dranzer cut into his hand.

"She _what_?!" his crimson eyes were burning with anger. "How dare she! And did you accept?"

_He can't have accepted! That fucking bitch! The stupid whore- how dare she take my Rei away from me? Goddamn her! If Rei accepted... _Kai's chest heaved with anger, tiny tears of frustration pricking his crimson eyes.

Rei shook his head. Was it just his imagination or did Kai give a small sigh of relief?

_I'm just imagining things. And if he did sigh in relief, then he's probably glad that I haven't stolen Mariah away from him, _Rei thought bitterly.

He could tell that Kai was absolutely fuming. The fury burning within crimson orbs caused Rei to gulp and inch away slightly.

"I have to say- I wasn't expecting that. I mean, I thought she was going to say that she loved me or something, but to propose..." Rei's shoulders slumped as he buried his face in his hands. "How can I say no? Mariah will never forgive me if I refuse."

"Who cares?" Kai demanded. He stretched out both legs and shifted closer to Rei. "Kon. This is your life, this is your choice."

_I never imagined that Kai would ever give me prep talk on my personal life. Blading, yeah, but on my love life? _He grinned inwardly though it was tinged with sorrow.

"I know." Rei groaned.

He felt an arm snake around his waist and pull him so that he was resting against a well toned chest. He tensed immediately, and he felt Kai move away, obviously thinking that Rei wasn't enjoying being within a close proximity with him.

"No- don't move away." Rei murmured. He rested his head on top of Kai's shoulder, breathing in the bluenette's unique, exotic scent. "What should I do?"

"What do _you_ want to do?" Kai asked. He tried to calm his heart, and ignore the fact that the boy that he loved yet couldn't have was within his embrace.

"I don't love her. Not like that. But I don't want things to turn sour between us."

"You managed to break up with her before. Surely it can't be that hard to say no." Kai sucked in a sharp breath as he felt Rei nuzzle his neck.

"I suppose." Rei said doubtfully.

_His skin is so soft... _Rei thought, almost dreamily. _And so smooth..._

Those moist lips against his skin sent Kai's heart beat racing. His grip on the raven haired beauty within the circle of his arms tightened by a fraction.

Rei, having no idea of the havoc he was wrecking on his stoic captain, shifted so that he was practically sitting on Kai's lap.

Kai felt his pale cheeks burn bright red as the neko jin caused uncessary friction.

"Ah... Kon..." he began uncomfortably.

_How am I going to phrase this? Get off my lap because you're turning me on? _Kai immediately trashed that thought. _Maybe not..._

"Yeah I know, we'd better be getting back." Rei groaned as he thought of Mariah waiting for him back at the dojo. He didn't want to move away from Kai. Somehow the bluenette always made him feel better. "I don't want to go though."

"We don't have to. It's only around 3pm." Kai pocketed dranzer, and winced as he saw the thin red lines of cuts that dranzer had left.

Rei noticed his wince and followed the bluenette's line of sight. "Oh! How did that happen? Are you okay?" Rei tore his sleeve, ignoring Kai's protests, and reached for the bluenette's hand. "Let me bandage your hand."

Kai reluctantly allowed Rei to inspect his cuts. He ignored the warm sensation that shot through him as soon as Rei's skin came into contact with him.

"They're not bad, which is good. You must've held on to Dranzer too tightly." Rei commented. "Why did you do that?"

Kai flushed. "Just stressed that's all." he didn't say what he had been stressed about.

"Over what?" Rei asked curiously.

_What is there to be stressed about? Unless it was the proposition that got him so worked up..._

Kai shrugged. Rei finished bandaging Kai's hand and went back to his former position, leaning against the taller boy, resting his head on his shoulder.

"I don't know how to get rid of her." Rei spoke up suddenly. "I mean, I thought she would get the point when I broke up with her all those months ago."

"Kon. All you have to say is no." Kai said, his voice as emotionless as ever, though his crimson eyes contained a spark of sympathy.

"I know... but how can you refuse one of your best friends?" Rei asked sadly. "I've known her for all my life, Kai. I grew up with her. She's practically my sister."

"That's why you have to say no, Kon." Kai looked at him seriously. "First of all, it's illegal to marry your sister, and second- if you don't love someone, then you don't marry them. Marry for love."

Rei rolled his eyes. _And thus speaks the expert on love, Kai Hiwatari himself._

"Let's get back to the dojo. I have to confront Mariah sometime, and there's no time like the present."

"We don't have to go back if you don't want to." Kai watched him carefully.

Rei shrugged. "I'm going to have to tell her that I don't love her, and the sooner I do so, the better. Otherwise I'm just going to keep putting it off, and then eventually I'll completely lose my nerve."

"Of course." Kai leapt off the branch and onto the ground. "Come on." he held out his hand, though he knew that Rei, being a neko jin, was able to get down perfectly well on his own.

He didn't expect Rei to accept his hand- if it had been him, he probably would've been insulted- but the neko jin took his pale hand in his own tanned one.

"Thanks Kai." the words sent shivers rolling down Kai's spine, and the feeling of Rei's hand in his felt so _right_.

"Hn." the blue haired boy grunted.

They walked back to the dojo, and found Mariah chatting away to Max who had an extremely forced smile on his face.

"That's... interesting..." the blond boy murmured, obviously not having the time of his life.

"Mariah." Rei spoke up. He saw the pink haired girl's eyes light up. He sighed inwardly, knowing that there was no backing off now. "I need to speak to you."

She grinned, obviously thinking that he would accept. "Come on, let's go into your room." she tugged on his wrist and lead him into his bedroom.

Kai looked after them, his eyes fixed on Rei's lithe figure. _Don't let her toy with you Rei. She doesn't deserve you._

"So... what do you want to talk about?" Mariah asked, smiling flirtatiously at him.

"Look, Mariah, I love you-" he winced as she grinned happily "-but only as a sibling." her grin lost its brightness by several watts. "I'm really sorry, Mariah. It's just... I can never love you the way you want me to. I'm truly sorry."

To his surprise she simply smiled, and there was an almost _forgiving _edge to her smile.

"Err... Mariah?" Rei asked nervously.

_Okaaaayyy... what's going on? She's _happy_? Something's not right..._

"It's okay Rei." she said in a very motherly tone. "You'll open your eyes to our love sooner or later. Hopefully sooner."

"...what?!" Rei quickly recovered from his previous state of speechlessness.

"You just need some more time. And I'm sorry for bringing this upon you suddenly, but it just had to be done." Mariah winked knowingly at him and walked out of the room.

Rei stared after her, shocked.

_What does it take to convince her that I don't love her?! _

He groaned loudly and left the room. He saw Kai sitting at the kitchen bench and sat next to him, dropping his head into his arms.

"What happened?" Kai asked immediately, placing one hand on Rei's tense shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks Kai." Rei rolled his head so that he peered up at Kai with tired amber eyes. "She just won't accept the fact that I'm not in love with her, and that I won't marry her. What else do I have to do, Kai?"

Kai looked thoughtful, then his eyes lit up suddenly. "Decoy."

"Huh?" Rei frowned. "What?"

"Pretend you're with someone else. Say you're gay or something. Then she can't force you to love her!" Kai finished with a small smirk. He waited to see what Rei's reaction was.

_At least now I can find out whether I have a chance with him or not._

Rei stared at him, his mouth hanging open. "... I- I suppose... that sounds like a good idea. But there are some major flaws."

"Like what?" Kai asked, frowning.

"Like the fact that I don't have a boyfriend. And besides, she'll just tell me that it's some phase I'm going through." Rei gave a groan of frustration.

"Then find someone who can pretend to be your boyfriend." Kai suggested.

_Pick me!! PICK ME!! _his mind screamed at Rei, though he showed nothing on his face.

"Who the hell would agree to be my boyfriend?" Rei asked, raising an eyebrow. "Tyson?" Rei shuddered. "God no. I mean, he's a nice enough guy, I just wouldn't be able to pull it off. And Maxie? Mariah would be able to see through that right away. Even think about making me pretend to go out with Kenny and I'll kill you."

Kai smirked, holding back a chuckle. To even think about putting Rei and Kenny together was... well, proposterous.

_That leaves only me_, Kai thought, his smirk growing wider.

Rei seemed to have just realised it as well. He went bright red and averted his gaze. "Umm... well..."

"That leaves me." Kai said, his voice as smooth and calm as ever.

"...yeah..." Rei was blushing madly. His tan helped to hide some of his blush, but even then Kai could tell he was bright red from a distance.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Kai pinched himself hard, to stop from breaking into full fledged grin when Rei nodded, somewhat shyly. "Good. I'll pick you up at 6pm then. That should give you enough time to tell Mariah that you're seeing someone else."

Rei nodded, then frowned slightly. "Where are you going to take me?"

Kai rolled his eyes. "Relax Kon. I'm not going to abduct you or anything. I'm just going to take you to the park." he frowned. "Unless people don't go there on dates anymore."

Rei went even redder, if that was possible. "That sounds gre- fine. That sounds just fine. But don't you think that you should call me by my first name?"

"Hn. Rei it is, then."

Mariah entered the room at that moment. She saw the way Kai was leaning in towards Rei and narrowed her eyes. As oblivious to Rei's lack of love for her as she was, she could tell that something was up between her "boyfriend" and his seemingly cold hearted captain.

"Rei?" she asked suspiciously, looking from one boy to the other.

Rei flinched and immediately pulled away from Kai guiltily, as if she had come across them while they were in the middle of discussing a gigantic secret. Kai reacted a bit more calmly, though there was a definite nervous gleam in his eyes.

"I'd better be off then." he said gruffly, with a meaningful look at Rei.

Mariah's eyes narrowed into tiny slits and she bared her fangs menacingly at the blue haired boy, who ignored her, as stoic as ever.

"Pick you up at 6." Kai added before disappearing out of the room.

Mariah turned upon Rei. "What was that about?" she demanded. "Treating you like his- like his _lover_-" she spat out of the word "-or something! I swear, someone needs to bring him off his high horse one of these days."

Rei swallowed. "Maybe he treats me like I'm his lover-" it felt so strange to say that word, especially when he was associating it with Kai "-because I _am_ his lover."

!#$%&()

**Author's notes: Okay, thanks to everyone who reviewed:**

Prozacfairy, Suheil373, nekomoongirl, Mara202, Skyflyer, Death Phoenix, Yeuh Kitsune, Munku-JGSPTV, Fisou, Alea, I.lIvE.wItH.sQuIrEILeS, dragon-girl 02, Crystal Blaize

See you all in the next chapter!!!


	3. jealousy

**Author's notes: **::rubs neck:: yeah.. it's been a while, huh? Gaahhh.. the holidays are almost over! waaaahhhh!!! well here's the next chappie!!

Thanks to all the reviewers!! I don't have time to name each and every one of you, but I am soooooooo grateful to everyone who reviewed!!! XD

You know the disclaimer and stuff so I'm gonna shut up now

**Chapter 3**

It was Mariah's turn to stare at him in frank shock. Rei wondered vaguely whether he had looked like that when Mariah had proposed to him. Her mouth hung open, and her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Y- you're _gay_?" she asked, in a hoarse whisper.

Rei nodded. "That's why I can't marry you Mariah. I'm in love with Kai."

"H- how long?" her voice sunk to a barely audible mumble.

"How long have we been going out? Well, around 3 months now. I'm sorry, Mariah."

"I can't believe this." Mariah's voice suddenly grew stronger. There was a determined, almost fanatical look in her amber eyes. "I _won't_ believe this. Unless you have true proof that you and Kai have been together, then I won't believe anything that blue haired idiot makes you say. I know he's forcing you to say this to me- there's no other explanation for it!"

Rei gave a loud gasp of exasperation. "Would you just accept the fact that I _do not love you_?"

Mariah simply shook her head, still trying to cope with everything she had just heard and started to leave the room. She paused at the doorway of the dojo.

"Do you have any proof that you and Kai-" she said his name with utter loathing "-are together?"

"I'll find you all the proof I can get." Rei replied confidently, though his heart was hammering away inside his chest.

A large teardrop rolled down Mariah's cheek, and she slunk off, dejected. Rei felt all the tension leave his body, and he sagged to the ground, exhausted.

"You look like shit, Ko- Rei." Kai stood above him, appearing from nowhere, an amused smirk twisting his lips. "I guess she found some pathetic excuse and won't accept the fact that you're screwing me in your spare time?"

Rei choked at Kai's blunt words, and stared at his captain in shock. Kai laughed, and it was a genuine laugh, carefree and _happy_. Rei realised that he had never really seen Kai happy in all the time that he had known the Russian boy.

"Hn. I didn't mean to be so... frank." Kai reached out, and gave a small smile as Rei let him pull him up. "So what did she say?"

"She thinks you're forcing me to do this, and she wants proof that we're together."

"What kind of proof?" Kai's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Does she want a tape of us-" he broke off, blushing a little. Rei also went red, and he nodded quickly to show he understood what Kai was getting at. "Because she could use that as blackmail."

"I'm truly sorry for bringing you into this, Kai. You don't deserve any more trouble in your life. You can back out at any time if you want." Rei said softly, hoping desperately that Kai wouldn't back out. He couldn't do this alone.

"Why would I do that?" Kai reached out and laid his hand on top of Rei's, liking the way their skin contrasted- his deathly pale, Rei's a nice golden tan. "I'm with you all the way."

Rei grinned at him. "Arigatou. This means a lot to me." he twisted his hand so that his palm lay flat against Kai's, and interlaced their fingers together. "Mm. I'm so tired. I suppose we've got to get some evidence, now. What about some photographs? We can get Kenny to take some for us, then put them around the dojo. Hopefully Mariah won't delve too deeply and check the dates for them or anything."

"Hn." Kai bent down slightly and wrapped one arm around Rei's knees and the other around his slim waist, never letting go of his hand while he did so.

Rei laughed as Kai picked him up bridal style, and swept him off towards the bedroom. He caught sight of Mariah glaring at them from one of the windows.

_I guess she didn't stray too far. Oh well, at least she saw this, _Rei thought, his spirits dampened slightly. _Shit- what's she going to think? Has she realised that we're only pretending? If only Kai hadn't said that he would be back by 6pm..._

"Is this our honeymoon then?" Rei asked, grinning broadly.

Kai shook his head, a small smile playing on his lips. "Wedding night." he whispered, his voice husky and low.

Rei felt the breath hitch in his throat. "R-really?" he whispered into Kai's smooth, creamy skin.

"Hai." Kai played Rei gently on the bed, looked at him for a moment or two then headed back for the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Rei whispered. He felt disappointed and rejected. He had been expecting... _something_... he just wasn't sure what.

"To get the camera. We need some pictures and _now_." Kai hesitated. "You do realise that we're going to have to get in some pretty compromising positions."

Rei nodded slowly, gulping visibly. He couldn't help but suppress a shiver of excitement.

_I'm going to have to kiss Kai... _Rei's stomach was doing bellyflop after bellyflop.

Kai disappeared then came back a second later, carrying the digital camera. He climbed onto the bed next to Rei. "We're going to have to make it look like we took the pictures ourselves, while- umm- while..." he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

Rei had never seen Kai look so uncomfortable before. Usually the Russian was cool, calm and collected. He was never flustered, never bothered by anything. If someone took out a machine gun and started blasting everything away, Kai would never have blinked an eyelid.

But now... now he was as uncomfortable as a first time mother discussing where babies came from to a 10 year old kid.

_Probably worse, _Rei mused.

Kai switched the camera on and beckoned to Rei to come closer. "Take off your jacket and switch your shirt with another one, so that Mariah won't know that the pictures were taken today." he instructed, as he took of his and replaced his grey shirt with a black singlet. "Help me to rough this bed up a bit."

Rei pulled the blankets off the bed and shoved them back on roughly, making it look like some strenuous activity had taken place on the bed he and Kai shared.

Kai grabbed Rei with one arm, and held the digital camera in front of them with the other. He pulled the neko jin close, so that their bodies were perfectly aligned. Rei wrapped his arms around Kai, feeling decidedly uncomfortable, yet there was a sense of ... well, he didn't know how to describe it. But it felt so _right_. It seemed natural.

_Perfect... _a voice at the back of his mind whispered. _So perfect..._

He pushed the voice out of his mind. After all, it was just longing. Kai would never love him.... and besides, he wasn't even sure he was gay!

Kai twisted around so that his lips were against Rei's neck, and he sucked at the patch of flushed skin. He felt Rei jump, obviously startled, then give in -extremely quickly- to his administrations.

"Quick. Take. Picture." Kai mumbled, making his way down Rei's neck. He couldn't help but feel that he was taking advantage of Rei. He wanted Rei, no, he _needed_ Rei, but the neko jin hadn't given any sign of needing or even wanting him.

_I shouldn't do this- this was my idea in the first place, _Kai thought guiltily. _He's probably disgusted by this. Oh God, what am I doing to him?_

Rei quickly took some snaps, hoping that he was aiming in the right direction. His mind was everywhere but on the camera.

_Oh God... please don't stop... please don't ever stop... _Rei begged silently.

He gave a small mew of disappointment as Kai pulled away, an undecipherable look on the blue haired boy's face.

Kai sat back on the bed, smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt and pants. He couldn't bring himself to look at Rei, not after what they- or rather, _he_ had just done.

"Did you take enough pictures?" Kai asked, taking the camera from Rei's loose grip. He still couldn't look Rei in the eye, and opted instead to stare at Rei's hands, which were shaking slightly.

"Ummm..." Rei's mind quickly snapped back into focus, and out of the gutter. "Er, yeah. I think."

Kai glanced at the pictures that Rei had taken and had to suppress a gasp of surprise. The neko jin's golden eyes were filled with desire, and he seemed to be _enjoying_ the kisses that Kai had planted on the raven haired blader's graceful neck.

_Impossible. It's simply a figment of my imagination, that's all, _Kai thought firmly.

"Hn. They'll pass, I guess. The only question now is whether Mariah believes them or not." Kai grunted, and got to his feet.

He stuck out his hand, heart pounding desperately within his chest. Would Rei accept it? Or would he reject it?

To his delight -though he would die before he admitted it- Rei accepted his hand, somewhat hesitantly, and stood next to him.

"So... what are we going to do now?" Rei asked softly.

"I have some business to take care of." Kai lied. "I'll see you tonight."

Rei hid the hurt he felt. Was Kai disgusted by him? But surely he had done nothing wrong- had he?

"Yeah. See you tonight." Rei called out as he watched Kai walk off, before he collapsed onto the ground, tears sliding down his tanned cheeks.

_I wish I could just tell Kai how I feel... why does it have to be so damned hard?_

Kai hadn't gone 10 steps away from the dojo befrore he was beset by a whirlwind of pink.

Mariah.

"What do you want?" Kai demanded coldly, before attempting to push past her, though he was inwardly wondering what she had to say. Had she finally given up on her conquest to win Rei's love?

Mariah sniffed audibly, her amber eyes filled with hurt. "Stay away from Rei, you bastard." she hissed.

Kai frowned. "I'll do whatever I like. Don't tell me what to do, and what not to do."

"You don't love him!" Mariah almost screamed out. She was nearly hysterical with rage and sorrow. "I do!"

"I love him, more than you'll ever know. He is everything to me." Kai replied truthfully. "And what's more, he loves me back."

"Rei could never love you." Mariah sneered. "First of all, he's not gay. He can't be- the elders would never allow it! And how could anyone love _you_?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kai demanded through gritted teeth. The words hit a particularly soft spot within him.

_She's right. No one could ever love me- how could they?_

"You're an iceberg, Hiwatari. A cold block of ice."

"I am perfectly aware of what an iceberg is, _Mariah_." he spat out her name with utter loathing. "If you have nothing else worth my time?"

Mariah glared icily at him. "You'll never win Rei's love, Hiwatari, no matter how hard you try. Keep that in mind." she stormed off, leaving Kai standing by himself.

Kai leaned against the wall, frowning darkly, trying his hardest not to let his emotions show. He couldn't let that pink haired bitch know how badly her words had affected him.

He headed out towards the park, and sat in the same tree he and Rei had sat in the day before, and the day before that. He leaned back, relaxing as he felt the rough bark against his smooth, porcelain like skin.

What she had said was right. He was an iceberg- he had never shown any love to his teammates, and they were his only friends. How could Rei even consider loving him? It was impossible.

_I'm living on an immature dream._

But Rei had seemed to enjoy what they had done earlier. Unless that was just a facade to make it look like he was enjoying it, so that Mariah would lose interest in him.

But the desire in his eyes... how could he fake that? Kai shook his head, trying to clear his muddled mind. He had to start thinking properly again- he couldn't act on his emotions. He had been taught from a young age not to have any emotions -they were weak, and useless.

But the other bladers had always been nagging at him to live by his heart, and not always by his head, Rei especially. But could he do that? Could he go by simply his emotions and tell Rei how he felt? What if Rei rejected him, and left the Bladebreakers? How could he live then?

Kai sat there for countless hours, musing over his true feelings and a certain raven haired neko jin. When it grew dark, he returned to the dojo, dragging his feet through the dirt, forcing himself to enter the dojo and face Rei.

"Heya Kai!" Max grinned almost maniacally at him.

Kai blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, and spotted the (empty) packet of sugar in the blond's hand.

"Granger!" Kai bellowed.

Tyson sprinted from his room. "What the hell?" he burst out as soon as he reached Kai. "What was that for? What have I done now?" he demanded.

"Is it, or is it not, a rule in our team that we never, ever let Taite have too much sugar?" Kai asked dangerously.

Tyson gulped. "Whoops..." he grinned sheepishly.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Deal with him. Where's Kon?"

Tyson grinned. "He's hiding from Mariah in the wardrobe. Mariah's been searching for him all afternoon."

"Where is she?" Kai clenched his fists angrily.

"Dunno." Tyson shrugged before running after Max.

Kai growled angrily, and entered the bedroom he and Rei shared. To his absolute anger and disgust, he found Mariah snooping his drawers.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Kai shouted.

He'd obviously caught her unawares, judging by her shocked face. Kai advanced upon her, reaching for the closest object to throw at her. He was beyond pissed- one of the things he hated most was someone sorting through his personal belongings. His privacy was incredibly important to him, and he valued it dearly.

"Who the hell do you think you are, going through my stuff? Get the fuck out of here you goddamn whore!" the normally cool Russian grabbed her by the shirt and threw her -literally- out of the room.

Silence filled the room, broken by muffled sobs from outside. Kai sat down on the bed, seething with anger. He felt like throttling the pink haired girl.

"Kon. Get the hell out of the closet." Kai growled, though he felt too drained of energy to do anything except snap.

Rei slipped out of the closet, and sat down next to Kai. "Are you alright? What's the matter?" he asked, concerned. The neko jin reached out and laid his hand on top of Kai's, squeezing it gently.

"Mariah." Kai muttered. "She's leaving. And soon."

"What was she doing? I couldn't see anything except the closet door."

"She was looking through my stuff." Kai had regained most of his calm. "I think our act is working."

_Our _act_... Is that all it is to you Kai? An act? _Rei wondered sadly. He managed to smile at the boy next to him.

"Why?

"She gave me a lecture." Kai smirked.

Rei stifled a laugh. "She gave _you _a lecture? What did she say?"

_That's rich, _Rei thought, grinning. _Mariah giving Kai a lecture._

Kai shrugged. "Nothing much. Nothing important, anyway."

Rei's eyes narrowed. "What did she say Kai?"

_Maybe that's the reason why he's so angry at her, other than the fact that she was looking through his belongings. If she said anything to hurt him... _Rei thought protectively, though he knew that Kai could take care of himself fine. _But he's always had to look after himself. If it was me, I would be so tired of having to pick myself off the ground every time I fall. Surely Kai must be tired too? After all he's gone through?_

"Just that you could never love me."

_Well that's a lie, _Rei mused. "And?"

A bitter smirk twisted Kai's lips. "And she called me an iceberg, and said that nobody could love me, and that I didn't deserve you."

"That's not true Kai!" Rei protested immediately, forcing Kai too look into his golden eyes. "And besides, surely you must be aware of the fact that most people only see the tip of the iceberg? There's a whole lot more underneath the surface."

Kai managed a tiny smile, though he didn't look convinced.

_Kai's never this insecure, _Rei thought anxiously. _What's wrong with him?_

"Kai? You want to go get something to eat?" he asked.

Kai paused for a moment, then shook his head slowly. "I might just go train for awhile. To unwind."

"Of course." Rei felt a little disappointed that Kai had rejected his offer of dinner, but he knew that training was extremely important to the blue haired Russian. "Well, I'm heading off to Rosie's- you know, the bar down the road. If you need me I'll be there."

Kai nodded. "Hn." he grunted half heartedly, his eyelids fluttering shut.

Rei watched him for a few seconds, then he stood up and left the room, immediately missing Kai's warmth. He grabbed his wallet and started walking down the road to Rosie's.

Rosie's was a small bar/ nightclub. It was divided in two, and Rei decided to stick to the bar part of Rosie's. The neko jin took a seat on one of the stools, and ordered a vodka cruiser, choosing to stick with low alcohol drinks. He didn't want to end up in a stranger's bed, or on the street, completely disorientated and without memory of what had happened. He hadn't been sitting down for long when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Let me buy you a drink."

Rei turned to face the owner of the voice, a good looking man in his mid twenties. He was tanned, with tousled light brown hair and blue eyes.

Rei smiled shyly. "No, I'm fine thanks." he said politely, feeling decidedly uncomfortable.

"Aw, come on, please?" a lazy grin had somehow spread its way across his rugged face. "Just one? Go on- it won't hurt."

Rei struggled to find a way of turning him down but still remain polite. He couldn't find one, so in the end he just nodded, a small, tight smile on his face.

"Sure. Why not?" Rei murmured.

The man gestured at the bartender, and ordered some alcoholic beverage Rei had never heard of before.

"I'm Mark by the way."

"Rei." the neko jin replied, looking suspiciously at his drink before taking a cautious sip.

_Holy shit what the hell is in this? _was the first thought that flashed through Rei's mind, as he choked on the drink.

Mark chuckled and patted him lightly on the back, his hand lingering a bit longer than necessary. "It takes a while to get used to, but you'll grow to like it. I know I sure did.

"I suppose..." Rei said doubtfully. He put the drink down, deciding not to drink anymore. "I take it you're not from around here?"

"No. I only just moved here from America. You a local?" Mark asked, moving his stool closer to Rei's, so that their knees were touching.

Rei was beyond uncomfortable now. Although Mark seemed nice enough, Rei didn't trust him one bit.

"No." Rei replied. "I travel a lot."

"Oh. That's a shame. So... how old are you?" Mark asked, somewhat slyly.

"17." Rei fiddled with his glass, and took another sip. Although he had decided not to drink anymore, it was a way to ignore Mark's piercing gaze. "And you?"

"26." Mark didn't look the slightest bit disturbed by the age difference. "Want to come around to my place?"

Rei stared at him in shock.

_Now _that_ was blunt._

"C'mon." Mark wheedled, and rested his hand on Rei's thigh.

The raven haired boy stiffened and pulled back. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing." Mark replied innocently, tracing an imaginary pattern on Rei's thigh. "So, will you come? It'll be fun!"

"Iie." Rei shook his head. "I really don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?" Mark demanded.

"Well, for one thing, my _boyfriend _doesn't want me to be out for long." Rei accented the word, watching Mark's face carefully.

The American flinched, and went a little pale, but recovered quickly. He obviously didn't think that his boyfriend would be able to match him in strength.

Rei smirked. Oh, was he wrong. Kai may be younger, but he was definitely a lot stronger.

_So what if Kai isn't actually my boyfriend... I'm sure he won't mind... at least, I hope not..._

"I'm sure your boyfriend won't mind." Mark's voice was husky and seductive. "He doesn't even need to know."

"It wouldn't be right." Rei said quickly and started to climb off the stool.

However, Mark had other plans. His arm shot out, trapping Rei. "I don't think so."

Rei turned to face him, angry. "Let me go. Now."

"I just want to have a little bit of fun." Mark drawled, the lazy grin back in full force.

The neko jin bared his fangs at the American, who pulled away instantly, shocked.

"What the hell-" he began.

Rei used Mark's shock to his advantage and quickly jumped off. He had underestimated the American, however, as the blue eyed man grabbed hold of Rei's slender waist, and pulled the neko jin against his firm body.

Rei shuddered in disgust, and struggled wildly, but the older man was a lot stronger than him.

Mark grinned victoriously, and pulled Rei even closer. He felt someone tap his shoulder, but he ignored it.

The person who had tapped his shoulder cleared their throat. Mark gave a low growl of annoyance and turned around, keeping a firm hold on the still struggling boy in his arms.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

He came face to face with a boy around 18 or 19 years old, with two toned slate coloured hair and narrowed crimson eyes. He couldn't help but be intimidated by the younger male.

"If you could kindly keep your hands off _my_ boyfriend?" the boy asked icily.

Mark cursed silently. Of course, the kid's boyfriend just _had _to come along.

"Oh, I never knew he was with someone!" Mark put on his best innocent expression.

Rei twisted around. "Kai?" he quickly ran out of Mark's now loose grasp and to his captain.

Kai wrapped strong arms around Rei's lithe figure, letting the neko jin bury his head into the crook of his neck.

"I think you did." Kai said to Mark, his crimson eyes showing no mercy whatsoever. "Bother Rei again, and I won't be so kind."

He twisted on his heel, holding Rei close to him, hoping the neko jin couldn't hear the thundering of his heart.

_I can't believe that man had the nerve to hit on _my_ Rei like that, _Kai seethed silently. He remembered then that Rei wasn't his, and grinded his teeth together.

"You okay?" he asked Rei, concerned, though he tried his hardest not to show it.

"Yeah... I'm fine, I guess." Rei mumbled. "Why are you here?"

Kai flinched, hurt by Rei's words. What did he mean by asking him that? Didn't he want him here?

_Did he want to stay with that man? Surely not..._

Rei sensed that something was wrong, and pulled away so that he could look at Kai properly.

"I'm really glad you came." he said softly.

"So am I." Kai muttered unconsciously. "The bastard."

"Kai?" Rei stared at him. Was that _jealousy_ in his captain's voice?

_Impossible_, Rei thought, bewildered.

Kai blinked several times, and realised that he had talked aloud. "He shouldn't have hit on you like that. Forcing you to drink alcohol, and asking indecent things."

"You heard? You were listening to our conversation? You were there?" Rei asked, frowning. "And you didn't do anything?"

Kai also frowned. "I didn't think it was wise to interrupt without knowing what was fully going on. Besides, surely you can take care of yourself?"

Rei flushed, and his mouth opened and closed as he tried to think up an excuse to Kai's remark. "I- I-"

Kai smirked. He pulled Rei close to him, his arm firmly wrapped around the neko jin's shoulders. "Let's go back to the dojo."

"Hai." Rei yawned. "It's late, and that alcohol did me no good. Thank you Kai.

Kai didn't reply, lost in his thoughts.

_What would happen if I hadn't arrived? _Kai wondered, dreading the answer. _I'm just glad that Rei is safe and sound._

**Author's notes: **Kai was so totally OOC that chapter. I'll try my best to get him back to normal for the rest of the story, but I can't guarantee anything, sorry!!

I'll try to get the next chapter up more quickly but the exams are soon and yeah


	4. argument

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait!! It's been so long I know.. but I've been really busy lol :P not that that's a good excuse. Got exams this week so I'm going to disappear for a while . **

**Just a note- this is only the first half of the actual chapter I just haven't finished the other half yet, and I wanted to update before the end of the month.**

**THANKS TO ALL THE REVIEWERS!! ::glomps reviewers:: XD I luv u all so much **

**Chapter 4**

Rei wasn't sure how the argument had started in the first place, but it sure as hell hadn't finished. He glanced across at the sleeping Russian on the other side of the bed.

_How can he be so calm about all of this? _Rei wondered, feeling tears trickle down his cheeks. _He was so nice to me before, but now he's as cold as before. Why did everything have to change between us?_

Rei's naorrw shoulders shook slightly as Kai's words drifted into his mind.

_"You're pathetic, Kon, you can't even hold your own in a silly little match! How do you suppose you're going to get on int the real world? I don't know why you're still on this team, because you certainly don't belong here!"_

He wasn't sure if Kai had meant his words, but Rei had felt the sting of his words all the same.

Was he really that worthless? Maybe he didn't deserve to be on the Bladebreakers after all...

But that was the least of his worries. It was the fact that Kai had yelled at him. Kai _never_ yelled at him.

Rei gave a depressed sigh, and slowly climbed out of bed, careful to make as little movement as possible. He hastily shot a glance at his roommate, who remained fast asleep, his gentle breathing reaching Rei's keen ears.

Rei wandered out of the dojo, not sure where he was going. All he knew was that he had to get away from Kai, get away from the building tension between them.

It had all started over a stupid match between another blading team and them. Rei had been too overconfident, and made a stupid mistake- his blade has slipped on a wet spot, and that had been the end of the match. He had let his team down, and it was all his fault- which Kai wouldn't let him forget.

_I know it was a stupid mistake, but why is he being so hard on me? _Rei wondered desperately, blinking rapidly to clear his misty eyes.

"Rei!!"

The neko jin twisted around, and stared at Mariah who came sprinting towards him.

"Mariah? What are you doing awake?"

The pink haired girl shrugged, beaming at her crush. "Where are you going? Can I come too?"

"Er..." Rei searched for an excuse. "Actually I want to be alone right now, Mariah, sorry. I just need time to think."

"I heard about the argument." Mariah said abruptly.

Rei flinched. _But then again, who _didn't_ hear the argument? We were yelling loud enough._

"And?" Rei asked, somewhat coldly.

"It's not your fault, Rei. Kai's a cold bastard who doesn't give a damn about anyone other than himself."

"That's not true!" Rei retorted heatedly, immediately defending the blue haired Russian without a second thought. "He _does_ care, he just doesn't show it a lot."

"Doesn't show it a lot? For God's sake Rei, he has no bloody emotions!" there were tears of desperation in Mariah's eyes. "Please, Rei, you're only going to end up hurt if you stay with him! He won't hesitate to hurt your feelings and crush your emotions."

"Please, Mariah, I don't need this right now. You have your opinions about Kai, and I have mine. Let's just keep them to ourself, okay?" Rei asked wearily.

Mariah sighed. "Of course. Just remember what I said, Rei. Because it's the truth."

She turned on her heel and walked off into the darkness. Rei watched her go, her words echoing around his head.

_Kai _does_ care! He does! _Rei kept repeating that to himself. _Surely he does- he's taken care of me so many times before without second thought. Surely that must count for something?_

Rei walked towards the park, wondering if Kai would notice that he was missing, and what would happen when he returned- would he get yelled at again?

_I just have to get away... can't Kai see that I love him? Why does he always have to hurt me like this?_

Kai woke up and automatically reached across the bed to see if Rei was safe. To his shock the other side of the bed was empty. The sheets were cold, which meant that it had been empty for a long time.

Kai sat up, his heart hammering wildly. Where the hell was Rei?

_Damnit, if only I hadn't lost my temper the other day, then this wouldn't be happening! _Kai cursed silently.

He hurriedly climbed out of bed, and entered the kitchen, hoping to see the neko jin sitting at the table. But only Kenny and Max were sitting there, eating breakfast and chatting happily to one another.

"Oh, hey Kai!" Max spotted him first, and waved at the stoic Russian. "You're up late today."

"Hn. Where's Kon?" Kai cut straight to the point.

Max gulped. He wasn't sure why Kai was looking for Rei, and hoped he wasn't about to yell at him again. The Chinese boy had been so crushed after the argument- he had picked at his food, refused to speak, and was unusually depressed.

Kai saw the conflict in Max's eyes. "I'm not going to yell at him again, Taite. I just want to talk to him."

"That's good." Max grinned in relief. "But I have no idea where he is. I haven't seen him all morning, which is really strange." he frowned thoughtfully.

Kai's heart plummetted.

_Where the hell is he? If he hasn't been around all morning, that would mean that he must've left extremely early. I have to find him. What if something bad has happened to him?_

"I'm going to go look for him." Kai said abruptly. He pulled on his jacket and hastily left the dojo.

He walked down the street, keeping a sharp lookout for Rei. He still couldn't believe that he had yelled at Rei the other day. But the tension between the two boys had been growing ever since they had taken the pictures.

Kai wasn't sure what had come over him, to make him yell at Rei like that. But his strong love for Rei had been too much for him to bear- it wasn't like him to have such strong emotions, and it had finally been too much for him, so he had taken out his frustration on the person he held the emotions for- Rei.

_Where would Rei have gone to? _Kai wondered, as he crossed the road, heading towards the park- it was where he went to train, so perhaps Rei had gone there to unwind. _It's worth a shot, _Kai reasoned.

He wandered around the park, trying to look as collected as possible. His eyes sought out every raven haired boy in the park.

To his disappointment Rei was nowhere to be seen near the blading dishes. Kai's shoulders sagged and he sat down at the base of a large tree.

_Where are you Rei?_

** well that's it!! See you in the next half of the chapter!! :P******


End file.
